[MrEnergyCzar]

Roads were nasty, barely plowed, sleet, slick. Silly question: Going up slippery hills, should I take the traction control off or leave it on?

MrEnergyCzar

 

[SharkVolt]

Leave it on, definitely!

It is designed to handle snow better than all but the most expert snow drivers.

You will be amazed!

 

[zete]

After dealing with last year's winter (and occasional freezing rain) leave it on. We slap Michelin winter tires on it each year, and it's well worth it. Those "all seasons" are only all seasons if you live in Florida, Hawaii or California .

Of all the FWD cars I've ever owned, the Volt handles the snow and ice the best. It's probably because the wheels are managed via software as opposed to mechanically, providing much better limited slip/traction control.

 

[Ron C]

There is so much low-end torque and its hard to modulate - let the computers do the hard work. Leave it on and concentrate on staying on the road.

 

[donstim]

If you have trouble gettting up a hill, you may need to turn it off. But only do that as a last resort. That has been my experience with other cars with traction control.

 

[sminnick]

In northern NJ it's very hilly (and many places still without power and down lines that plows can't go past) and I had to go out and about last night in the storm. I have to say the Volt did better than I expected.

I used to have a AWD Lincoln Aviator (fancy Ford Explorer) so with the Volt being FWD and having these "low rolling resistance tires" (not snows) I was not expecting much. But going up a snowy hill that hadn't been plowed yet, flooring it, yes I got the traction control to kick in all over the place, but it went up the hill pretty seamlessly. I was pretty impressed, I didn't have a problem, even up my driveway (which is a traction test if I ever saw one).

I'm not sure if it's the weight distribution, or the electronic control over the drive system, but it did very well.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

In a Prius you stick it in Eco and ease off when it slips. Do whatever the equivalent is in the Volt.

 

[Mathew Hennessy]

In a Prius you stick it in Eco and ease off when it slips. Do whatever the equivalent is in the Volt.

Volt has an Eco mode, it's called 'Normal'.



(Thank goodness Texas doesn't get a whole lot of snow, since snow without a mountain to ski on is just a hazard..)

 

[BronxVolt2013]

I had no problem here in NYC yesterday and in was so so so much better than my previously owned front wheel drive very high torque Caliber SRT-4.

 

[wainair]

The only time you should turn off your traction control is when you are already stuck. Say you are at a stop and get hung up in a drift of snow or a snow plow ridge of slush, traction control can stop you from getting free by not allowing your wheels to spin to clear the snow and slush in your treads. Of course you don't want to just sit there spinning your wheels making ice under them but if you rock your Volt with the traction control off you have a better chance of getting unstuck. I wouldn't turn it off just driving around in slippery conditions, that's what it is there for, it can react better and quicker than you can!

My best advice for driving in snow is slow down and project ahead looking for problem areas. The guys that will pass you like the weather is sunny out will be the ones you see in the ditch up the road! Most often the guys in the awd suv's! LOL

 

[Logical_Thinker]

Volt has an Eco mode, it's called 'Normal'.


<snip>

totally awesome comeback. go volt

 

[DonC]

Man you guys can't catch a break these days. Condolences about the weather!

The answers are great but (1) we don't get snow and (2) for 2011 MY copies traction control has two settings -- "ON" and "ON". LOL The advantages of getting a later model.

 

[Mathew Hennessy]

The answers are great but (1) we don't get snow and (2) for 2011 MY copies traction control has two settings -- "ON" and "ON". LOL The advantages of getting a later model.

<complain "where's the software upgrades, GM?" />

 

[Bob G]

If you have trouble gettting up a hill, you may need to turn it off. But only do that as a last resort. That has been my experience with other cars with traction control.

Also, backing up a hill in any front-wheel-drive vehicle dramatically increases traction (because it puts more weight on the front wheels). It may look silly, but it works!

 

[Redthief]

Ya here on the long island i had no trouble at all driving in the snow very little wheel slip and witj it on low gear breaking was nice. The only problem was it was such a heavy snow that the wipers couldnt push it off the car so it was building up on the sides as i drove. Other then that it was great.

 

[emartin00]

The guys that will pass you like the weather is sunny out will be the ones you see in the ditch up the road! Most often the guys in the awd suv's! LOL

It's all wheel drive, not all wheel stop. Many people fail to realize AWD doesn't help you stop, it just helps get you moving.

I didn't have any trouble this morning. My Volt felt very stuck to the road despite the ~2 inches of ice and slush on the back roads. The highway was nice and clear, so I can't judge that yet.